Chicago's Classical Architecture: The Legacy of the White City

Images of America: Illinois

by David Stone, Carroll William Westfall (Introduction)

Chicago's architecture has been called the most important in the United States by the American Institute of Architects, and perhaps no other type of architecture has had as significant of an impact on the city's look, feel, and character as classical architecture. Chicago's connection to classical architecture dates back to the famed 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, with it's gleaming "White City" of ornate Beaux-Arts buildings. After the fair, the "Plan of Chicago," developed by Daniel Burnham, the fair's lead architect, paved the way for the further spread of classical building not only in Chicago, but throughout the country. In the 21st century, Chicago still retains its classical look, much of which is either directly or indirectly linked to Burnham and the 1893 fair. Burnham's renowned plan influenced what Chicagoans now see in Grant Park, for example, as well as in other structures, homes, government and office buildings, monuments, hotels, schools, and museums-all inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, For the first time, these structures-spanning well over 200 years of building-are shown here in one collection.

Genres: History, Architecture, Nonfiction, American

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2006

Reviews

[Madame Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago has the most impressive architecture I have ever seen. While visiting in 2017, I marvelled at the stunning buildings the mixed classic Greek revival and modern sleek Art Deco. Skipped the architectural boat cruise, but taking the El was a good substitute riding from the Loop to the North Side.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

finished it on loan from the library, then bought a copy.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of the Images of America series of books. Starting with the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the "white city", it moves on to Burnham and his influence on Classical Architecture. The book has tons of pictures of all the most famous buildings and details on some of the minutia of their histories. The sub-title of the book is "The Legacy of the White City" and it is clear how much that exposition influenced the buildings designed around the turn of the century and for almost 100 years afterwards.

I have always loved stories of the White City and felt that it was one of the most gorgeous sights ever created by man. A whole book that is dedicated to it is just unimaginable. Part of my love for UChicago stems from its proximity to the fairgrounds. I only wish that more than the Museum of Science and Industry had survived. It is such a shame that so many of the other buildings built under the Beaux-Arts style have since been remodeled (Soldiers Field) or destroyed (multiple theaters and the McCormick Mansion).

[Greg Enslen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming off of "Devil in the White City," I've been craving anything with photos and maps of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. My local library didn't have the Arcadia book on the World's Fair itself, but they did have this one on the architectural impact of the Fair on the next fifty years of construction in Chicago. Great photos!

[Geri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chicago is so awesome!!!